Saying that the Catholic Church was in a ‘spiritual crisis,’ a visiting priest urged Cocoa Beach parishioners whose pastor was removed amid a sexual abuse investigation, to ‘let it be’ and turn to prayer in the global faith's hour of struggle and need.

“Our Mother (Mary) teaches us to pray in moments of desperation…in moments of need,” said Father Ivan Olmo of St. Mary Catholic Church during a 20-minute homily at Our Saviour Catholic Church in Cocoa Beach.

This is Church of Our Saviour Catholic Church in Cocoa Beach.

MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY

“These are scary times for us but we’re (not) giving up hope. Our Lady is a lady of hope…(God) will never abandon us, he’s never going to abandon this church…Mary help us, we are so lost…we are in desperate need,” he said after leading members twice through renditions of the Beatles ubiquitous hymn of solace amid sorrow, ‘Let It Be.”

About 150 people turned out for the early morning Mass, sitting attentively in the sanctuary as Olmo spoke. Olmo, however, did not directly address last week's removal of 65-year-old Rev. David Gillis, the Parish’s priest, or directly mention the widespread sexual abuse scandal plaguing the worldwide body.

Tuesday, the Diocese of Orlando – which oversees Brevard’s 60,000-plus Catholics – notified the beachside parish that Gillis was removed from his priestly duties at the beachside congregation pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation by prosecutors. The removal came as Gillis’ name surfaced amid allegations he was accused of sexual abuse of a minor at a church in Berks County, Pennslyvania. Gillis has not been charged in the case.

“We pray for all victims and their families and for those involved in this situation,” Orlando Diocese officials said earlier this week in a prepared statement.

Those allegations come as the Catholic Church, with 1.2 billion members worldwide, is faced again with deepening global criticism that the church hierarchy moved too slowly to address the troubling behavior in clergy abuse cases, or in some cases, covered up longstanding claims of sexual abuse involving children.

In Pennsylvania, where Gillis was once based before arriving in the Orlando Diocese in 2005 and being assigned to the Cocoa Beach church earlier this year, a grand jury report detailed decades of sexual abuse involving more than 300 priests and at least 1,000 victims across the state. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the church "weaponized" the Catholic faith to allow priests to escape punishment for decades-long allegations of sexual abuse.

Other states, including New York, are also reviewing whether to open fresh investigations into longstanding abuse claims.

Services at Our Saviour Catholic Church on Sunday.

J.D. Gallop

Even Pope Francis, who ascended to the papacy as the lingering child sex scandal stretching the globe reached new heights, has come under attack from some corners after a former Vatican diplomat penned a public letter accusing the pope of shielding a former archbishop from sexual abuse claims.

At Our Saviour, many of those attending say they heard Olmo’s message as one of hope. Robert Olsen, of Cocoa Beach, said Olmo’s homily was encouraging.

“It was an excellent message. I hope things will be resolved soon. It left people with the hope that the leadership cares about what is happened and is working to make sure that these things do not happen again,” he said, moments after leaving the sanctuary.

However, many voiced disappointment that the allegations continue to dog the Catholic Church. Others declined to comment about the matter, either involving Our Saviour or the Catholic Church at large. Tyrone Tice, a Cocoa Beach resident, said the scandals were ‘sad,’ but that he believed the church was moving forward in the right direction. He also praised Olmo’s message, which also urged members to be not only "hearers of the Word, but doers."

“The message was great. We have to be loving to people who have been hurt by human beings in the church,” said Tice, who has been a member of Our Saviour for eight years. “They were not being shepherds,” Tice said of the priests at the center of the various abuse scandals. He also said he was hopeful that the diocese and the church overall were on the right path. He also said that Gillis seemed to be ‘a very loving man.’

“I don’t have all of the information. I hope it’s not true. But if it is, he must pay the price for his sins.”